In 1997, the FDA
estimated that between 12 million and 30 million people, as many as one in nine Americans,
had medical conditions that made them especially vulnerable to Vibrio vulnificus blood
infection.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that naturally
occurs in warm salt waters where some molluscan shellfish are harvested.(35)Vibrio vulnificus causes one of the most
severe foodborne infectious diseases.(36) It can
induce primary septicemia,(37) a blood infection
that leads to death in half of all cases.(38) Those
who survive a case of primary septicemia often face amputations and chronic pain. Some
people are particularly vulnerable to Vibrio vulnificus blood infections due to
underlying medical conditions.(39)

Vibrio vulnificus infections typically are caused by
consumption of contaminated shellfish that are raw or undercooked (e.g., lightly steamed).
The bacterium may be present in all types of shellfish including oysters, clams, and crabs(40) and cannot be detected by sight, smell, or taste.(41) However, thorough cooking(42)
or certain other treatment methods can kill Vibrio vulnificus, making the
shellfish safe to eat.

Vibrio vulnificus also can infect an open wound
that has been exposed to seawater. However, such wound infections are much less likely to
be fatal than the bloodstream infections caused by eating tainted raw oysters.(43)

Scientists have been studying Vibrio vulnificus for
more than 20 years.(44) In 1981, the state of
Florida began a monitoring and reporting program for Vibrio vulnificus illnesses(45) and, within a few years, a Gulf Coast regional
surveillance system was established.(46) Though the
surveillance program does not detect all deaths and illnesses linked to Vibrio
vulnificus-contaminated shellfish, it does provide important insight into the scope
of the problem. Since 1989, at least 263 people are known to have fallen sick from eating
raw shellfish contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus; of those, 138 died.(47) The economic impact of those deaths and illnesses
is enormous. According to FDA estimates, Vibrio vulnificus imposes costs of at
least $120 million each year on the U.S. economy, by far the largest economic impact of
any foodborne pathogen associated with seafood products.(48)

Studies of the bacteriums growth characteristics suggest
obvious ways to reduce the number of deaths and illnesses it causes.(49)Vibrio vulnificus thrives in warm marine
waters and can reach dangerous levels in the Gulf Coast shellfish harvesting beds,
especially during warmer months.(50) Thus,
restrictions on the season and location of shellfish harvesting could dramatically
decrease deaths and illnesses. Alternatively, post-harvest treatments are available that
can kill the pathogen with little or no effect on taste or texture.(51)
Unfortunately, no comprehensive solutions have been mandated on a statewide or nationwide
basis.(52)

Rather
than acting as the guardian of public health, the FDA has, in effect, abdicated its
statutory authority to regulate shellfish to the industry-dominated ISSC. And, the ISSC
has consistently failed to place the health of consumers ahead of the financial interests
of the shellfish industry. As a result, each year Americans die or become debilitated from
Vibrio vulnificus-tainted shellfish.

"Negative
publicity focused on V. vulnificus has brought into question the effectiveness of the NSSP
and the ISSC as an organization."